Michele Lee hais tias nws yog ib tug kawm tshaj lij rau sab txuj science, math thiab Askiv. Tab sis nws yog ib tug nyiam qhia dab neeg thiab nyiam ua yeeb yam heev. Nws kuj tau kawm Bachelor of Marketing thiab kuj tau kawm Screen writing thiab creative writing ntawm Melbourne. Tam sim no nws tseem tab tom kawm PhD txog cov kev yog ib tug Hmoob thiab cov kev ua yeeb yam, sau dab neeg uas tseem kawm tsis tau tiav.
Michele Lee hais tias ''Kuv yog thawj tug Hmoob yug ntawm teb chaws Australia rau lub caij xyoo 1980s."
"Thaum kuv tseem kawm high school ces kuv yeej nyiam nyiam kawm ntawv Askiv, nyiam ua yeeb yam dab neeg, thiab ua yeeb yam saum sam thiaj lub caij xyoo 1908s -90s. Tab sis tsis muaj peev xwm ua tau vim tsis muaj neeg Asian coob ntawm ACT."
Cov kev yog ib feem ntawm haiv neeg Australia
Michele Lis hais tias "Thaum kuv mus high school lub caij xyoo 1990s ces ntawm Canberra tsis muaj Hmoob coob los yog neeg dub los yog neeg Asia coob, ces thaum kuv xyuas (saib) TV, xyuas (saib) movies, tsis muaj neeg zoo ib yam li yus,''
So thaum kuv yog teenager kuv tsis xav ua Hmoob, kuv tsis xav yog Hmoob, kuv tsuas xav yog tawv dawb xwb, vim kuv xav fit in.Michele Lis, Hmong Australian playwright and author
"Kuv tsuas hais li ntawd xwb txhais tsis tau tias kuv xav ua ib tug neeg tawv dawb, tab sis kuv paub tias cov kev yog Hmoob thiab yog neeg Asian tab sis vim tsis tshua muaj neeg zoo li yus, so I didn't feel as much pride."
"Tej zaum yog vim kuv sau ntawv (sau dab neeg ua yeeb yam) kuv thiaj cope (ntxeem tau) nrog tej xwm txheej no."
"Tsis yog tias kuv tu siab, los yog ua rau yus tsis zoo siab, yus tsis tu siab but underneath inside you xav tias:
Vuag ua cas kuv nyob hauv Australia I don't really belong.Michele Lis, Hmong Australia playwright writer/author
''It is not everyday I was unhappy or depressed, kuv mus kawm ntawv kuv yeej muaj phooj ywg, kuv mus ua hauj lwm thiab ua txhua yam, but underneath inside there is a bit unhappiness inside."
"Kuv tsis paub but tsam no it's different, if koj yog Hmoob tsam no nas in 2025 yog koj muaj 16 xyoo, 18 whatever, tsam no I think it's different. More pride, more social media. Sunasa Lee went to the Olympics, there is more Hmong people around, you can see more Hmong people around. I don't think Hmong people feel the same way I did."
It's fifteen years that I wrote playwrights, and doing my PhD, tsam no I am always thinking, always thinking about being Hmong being Asian. So tsam no I am much happier, but I am thinking about it all the time. But now I am older and wiser, I am happier. Time is different.Michele Lee, Hmong Australia playwright writer/author
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My story - Hloov peb lub neej tshiab
Lwm haiv neeg tseem tsis tau paub Hmoob
"Thaum kuv los nyob Melbourne ces kuv thiaj ua hauj lwm part time thiab kawm sau dab neeg thiab sau cov screen writing and creative writing."
"Peb nyob hauv Australia peb paub Hmoob tag nrho tab sis lwm haiv neeg tsis paub Hmoob. Hauv kuv lub play kuv yuav tau qhia tias Hmoob yog tsav neeg twg. Lawv hais nej puas yog Nyab laj, yog Suav, nej yog Nplog los sis tej zaum yog Thaib."
"My whole life Australians lawv tsis paub Hmoob nas! Maybe they've been to Sapa, Laos or Thailand but tab sis lawv tsis paub Hmoob, so lawv tuaj pom kuv lub show lawv hais tias kuv twb tsis paub Hmoob. Peb tsis paub about Hmong."
"And I think that is good. So lawv paub about Hmoob people and some stories about Hmong people as well."
I think I will always write about Hmong people because no one knows, there is always something to say.Michele Lis, Hmong Australian playwright writer/author
"Tsis hais neeg Suav los yog neeg Nyab laj los zoo li yeej tsis paub Hmoob. Zoo li yeej tsis tau muaj ib tug neeg Australia tau ntsib ib tug Hmoob. They don't know about us."
"Some people hais Michele koj lam yog ib tug neeg tawv dawb, koj twb tsis paub hais lus Hmoob tsis paub Hmoob kev cai. Kuv thiaj hais tias ... Kuv thiaj xav tias tej zaum kuj yog tiag thiab.''
Kuv yog Hmoob mas, how can I be anything but Hmoob, txawm tias kuv yog ib tug Hmoob txawv lwm tus los kuv yeej tseem yog Hmoob.Michele Lee
"Kuv always kuv xav uh...like I am always want to write - Hmong people's interesting. Hmong people's not always good and not always nice not always kind. Thaum kuv ua ib yam dab tsi txog Hmoob kuv always qhia rau kuv tus kheej tias - how do I make this person very interesting as well. Because neeg everywhere doesn't matter if you are Hmong, you are Australians yeej muaj neeg zoo muaj neeg phem muaj neeg ua mistake, muaj neeg sib hlub, muaj tej neeg muaj nyiaj thiab txom nyem. Kuv xav tias Hmoob los yeej zoo tib yam thiab. Kuv xav hais we are also the same we are good and we are bad."
Ua tus neeg yus xav ua
"Nyob ntawm lub teb chaws li teb chaws Australia uas tsis muaj Hmoob coob, thiab muaj neeg coob heev tuaj ntawm ntau thaj chaw sib txawv tuaj nyob ua ke, kuv xav tias tej neeg yeej xaiv ua lub neej raws li lawv nyiam ua, koj nyiam leej twg los tsis ua li cas tsuav koj ua ib tug neeg zoo thiab xyuas kom paub yus tej kab lis kev cai xwb."
''Kuv yeej paub tias kuv tsis paub hais lus Hmoob, kuv tsis paub Hmoob kab lis kev cai, tab sis kuv yeej tseem zoo siab tias kuv yog ib tug Hmoob''.
Kuv tus txiv nws yeej xav paub heev, thiab nws yeej txhawb nqa kom kuv hais lus Hmoob ntau tuaj ntxiv, hu xov tooj nrog koj niam tham, thiab mus koom Hmoob noj peb caug. So I think no matter whoever you are with still try to have pride being Hmong.
Michele Lis hais tias nws tseem tab tom kawm PhD yog yuav sau txog Hmong people and creative writing.
My PhD research is about "me and my writing and being Hmong."Michele Lee
Lus fi xo rau Hmoob tej zejzog
Michele Lis xav hais rau Hmoob tias ''yog tias koj xav tell story (qhia koj zaj dab neeg), koj xav sau plays (dab neeg ua yeeb yam) sau rau TV los yog ua yeeb yaj kiab (for film/movie), sau rau computer games, sau dab neeg luv, kuv hais ... kav tsij ua na, sau na!.
That's it. More Hmong people tell more stories.Michele Lis, Hmong Australian playwright writer/author
"Kuv paub tias Hmoob ua hauj lwm ntau yam, tab sis peb yeej xav kom neeg Hmoob qhia txog lawv tej dab neeg thiab, tsis hais qhia koj zaj dab neeg, qhia peb tej dab neeg ntau yam, vim peb yeej muaj peev xwm sau qhia txog ib yam dab tsi. Ces kuv thiaj xav kom muaj Hmoob coob ntxiv qhia txog nej tej dab neeg kom ntau tuaj ntxiv."
Maybe there are Hmong people a little bit like me, maybe yus tsis nyob ze Hmoob, yus tsis paub hais lus Hmoob zoo, you're still a Hmong (los yus yeej tseem yog ib tug neeg Hmoob). And that is okay, you are Hmong in your own way.Michele Lis, Hmong Australian playwright writer/author
"Tsam no peb nyob hauv Australia tau 50 xyoo lawm, muaj ib co Hmoob piv txwv li kuv tus me tub yog txuam ib nrab neeg dawb ib nrab neeg Hmoob, yeej muaj neeg Hmoob uas txuam neeg Cob tsib ib nrab, los yog txuam nrog lwm haiv neeg, tsam no peb lub Hmoob community yeej txawv 50 xyoo dhau los lawm. Ces thiaj tseem ceeb tshaj qub ntxiv kom peb txaus siab thiab zoo siab tias peb yog Hmoob. Kuv yeej paub tias kuv tsis paub hais lus Hmoob, ces thiaj ib nyuag nyuaj me ntsis. Tab sis kuv yeej thov ua tsaug rau sawv daws uas tau ua ntau yam. Los yog tsis hais ib tug twg li uas muaj niam txiv yog Hmoob, los yog txuam lwm haiv neeg tej zaum hais tau lus Hmoob los sis hais tsis tau lus Hmoob los nej yeej tseem yog Hmoob, thiab kom nej txaus siab thiab zoo siab tias nej yog Hmoob.
